How many Troubleshooting Scenario Questions questions are on this page?

This page has 15 Troubleshooting Scenario Questions scenario questions for the 350-601 exam, each with detailed explanations and wrong-answer analysis.

How should I approach 350-601 scenario questions?

Read the full scenario before looking at the answer options. Identify the constraint or requirement in the scenario, then eliminate options that are generally true but wrong for this specific case. Scenario questions reward careful reading over pattern matching.

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Troubleshooting Scenario Questions

Practise Cisco DCCOR / CCNP Data Center Core 350-601 practice questions — original exam-style scenarios covering every exam domain, with detailed explanations, wrong-answer analysis, and common exam traps.

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scenario questions

350-601

exam code

Cisco

vendor

Scenario guide

How to approach troubleshooting scenario questions

These questions describe a network symptom and ask you to identify the root cause or the correct fix. They appear across all certification exams and reward systematic thinking over memorisation. The best candidates follow a consistent troubleshooting framework even under time pressure.

Quick answer

Troubleshooting Scenario Questions questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.

How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.

Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.

How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.

How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.

Practice scenarios

Question 1easymultiple choice

Full question →

A network engineer is troubleshooting a slow backup performance between a backup server and a tape library connected via FC. The backup server is connected to a Cisco MDS switch at 8 Gbps, and the tape library is connected at 4 Gbps. The backup job is using hardware compression. Which factor is most likely limiting performance?

A
Port speed mismatch between the server and tape library
The slower device (4 Gbps) determines the link speed.
B
Insufficient buffer credits on the MDS switch
Why wrong: Buffer credits affect long-distance links, not speed-limited performance.
C
Hardware compression on the tape library
Why wrong: Compression reduces data, improving performance, not limiting it.
D
Half-duplex mode on the FC link
Why wrong: FC always operates in full-duplex mode.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 2mediummultiple choice

Open the full BGP breakdown →

A network engineer is troubleshooting a VXLAN EVPN problem where some endpoints are not reachable. The output of 'show bgp l2vpn evpn' shows Type-3 routes but no Type-2 routes for a specific VNI. What should the engineer check?

A
The route-target import/export is misconfigured.
Why wrong: Route-target misconfiguration would affect all route types, not just Type-2, and would be seen in other VNIs.
B
BGP session is not established.
Why wrong: If the BGP session were down, no EVPN routes (including Type-3) would be present.
C
The VNI is not configured under the NVE interface.
Why wrong: If the VNI were not under NVE, Type-3 routes (IMET) would also not be generated for that VNI.
D
The VLAN corresponding to the VNI has no active ports.
Type-2 routes carry MAC/IP information. Without active ports in the VLAN, no MACs are learned, so no Type-2 routes are advertised.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 3mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A data center team is troubleshooting an automation script that uses REST API to configure a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch. The script fails with a '401 Unauthorized' error. What is the most likely cause?

A
API rate limiting has been exceeded
Why wrong: Rate limiting returns 429 Too Many Requests.
B
Network connectivity issue between the script and the switch
Why wrong: Connectivity issues would result in timeouts or connection refused errors.
C
The user account does not have admin privileges
Why wrong: Insufficient privileges would return 403 Forbidden.
D
Invalid or expired authentication token
401 Unauthorized indicates authentication failure.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 4hardmultiple choice

Study the full ACL explanation →

A network engineer is troubleshooting CoPP drops on a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch. The 'show control-plane' output indicates that packets are being dropped due to 'CoPP' on the 'default' control-plane class. Which action is most likely to resolve the issue without affecting routing protocol stability?

A
Disable CoPP globally to allow all control-plane traffic.
Why wrong: Disabling CoPP removes protection against DoS attacks.
B
Increase the policer rate for the 'default' class in the CoPP policy.
Raising the policer rate allows more packets to pass, reducing drops.
C
Modify the class-map to reclassify the dropped packets to a higher priority class.
Why wrong: Reclassification may starve other traffic and is not a direct fix.
D
Increase the ingress buffer size on the control-plane interface.
Why wrong: Buffering only delays drops, does not solve policer drops.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 5mediummultiple choice

Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

A data center engineer is troubleshooting intermittent connectivity between two servers in different VLANs. The servers are connected to different leaf switches in a VXLAN EVPN fabric. When checking the fabric, the engineer notices that the NVE interface on one leaf is up/up but the VNI for the server VLAN is not listed in 'show nve vni'. What is the most likely cause?

A
MTU mismatch on the underlay network
Why wrong: MTU mismatch would cause packet drops but not the absence of VNI from 'show nve vni'.
B
Anycast gateway is not configured on the leaf
Why wrong: Anycast gateway is used for first-hop redundancy; its absence does not affect VNI visibility on the NVE.
C
BGP EVPN peers are not established
Why wrong: BGP EVPN peers not established would affect route exchange, but the VNI would still appear in 'show nve vni' if configured.
D
The VLAN-to-VNI mapping is missing under the VLAN configuration
The VNI must be mapped to a VLAN using 'vn-segment vlan-id' under the VLAN configuration; without it, the VNI does not appear in the NVE interface.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 6mediummultiple choice

Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

A server connected to Ethernet1/1 is unable to communicate on VLAN 1. The server is configured to send untagged frames. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

! Nexus 9000 switch
interface Ethernet1/1
  switchport mode trunk
  switchport trunk allowed vlan 10,20,30
  spanning-tree port type edge trunk
  no shutdown

! Switchport statistics
Ethernet1/1 is up, line protocol is up
  Hardware: 1000/10000 Ethernet, address: xxxx.xxxx.xxxx
  Description: Server connection
  MTU 1500 bytes
  Port mode is trunk
  Trunk encapsulation is 802.1Q
  Trunk allowed vlans: 10,20,30
  Trunk native vlan: 1
  Vlans allowed on trunk: 10,20,30
  Vlans active and untagged: 1
  Vlans active and tagged: 10,20,30

interface port-channel1
  switchport mode trunk
  switchport trunk allowed vlan 10,20,30
  spanning-tree port type edge trunk
  no shutdown

A
The spanning-tree port type edge trunk is causing BPDU guard to block the port.
Why wrong: Port type edge trunk enables PortFast but does not block traffic on untagged VLAN.
B
The port is in err-disabled state due to a loop.
Why wrong: The port is up and line protocol is up.
C
VLAN 1 is not allowed on the trunk, so untagged frames are dropped.
Untagged frames are placed in native VLAN 1, but VLAN 1 is not in the allowed list.
D
The port is administratively down.
Why wrong: The no shutdown command is present.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 7mediummultiple choice

Full question →

An engineer is troubleshooting connectivity between two Nexus 9000 switches configured with vPC. The vPC peer link is up, but the vPC peer-keepalive link is failing. Which action should be taken to ensure vPC convergence in the event of a peer-link failure?

A
Ensure the peer-keepalive link uses a dedicated management interface or a separate VRF.
A dedicated keepalive link ensures reliable communication and prevents split-brain.
B
Disable vPC on both switches and reconfigure the port channels.
Why wrong: Disabling vPC is not necessary; the issue is with keepalive.
C
Reconfigure the vPC domain with a lower priority on the secondary switch.
Why wrong: Priority affects role election, not keepalive failure behavior.
D
Increase the vPC peer-keepalive hold timeout to 5 seconds.
Why wrong: Increasing hold timeout delays failure detection.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 8easymultiple choice

Full question →

An engineer is troubleshooting a Cisco UCS B-Series blade that fails to boot. The service profile is associated and the boot policy is set to 'SAN Boot'. The storage administrator confirms the LUN is properly mapped to the WWPN. Which check should the engineer perform first?

A
Verify that the UCS Fabric Interconnect is connected to the SAN switches
Without fabric connectivity, the server cannot reach the storage.
B
Reboot the chassis to reinitialize the IOM
Why wrong: Rebooting chassis is unnecessary and disruptive.
C
Check that the vHBA has a dynamic WWPN assigned
Why wrong: Dynamic WWPNs are fine; the issue is connectivity.
D
Ensure the local disk is set as primary boot device
Why wrong: SAN boot bypasses local disk.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 9mediumdrag order

Full question →

Order the steps for troubleshooting a Fibre Channel link that is not coming up.

Drag steps to the numbered slots on the right, or tap a step then tap a slot.

Steps

Order

1Step 1

2Step 2

3Step 3

4Step 4

5Step 5

Question 10mediummulti select

Full question →

A storage administrator reports that a host cannot reach any of the targets on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch. The VSAN configuration is correct, and all interfaces are up. Which two commands should be used to verify the Fibre Channel name server database and zoning configuration?

A
show zoneset active
Shows the active zoneset and its member devices, verifying zoning.
B
show zone
Why wrong: Shows all configured zones but not necessarily the active set.
C
show flogi database
Why wrong: Shows fabric login information, not the name server or active zoneset.
D
show fcns database
Displays the Fibre Channel name server database, showing all registered devices.
E
show fcns details
Why wrong: 'show fcns details' is not a valid Cisco NX-OS command.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 11hardmulti select

Full question →

An engineer is troubleshooting a performance issue on a Cisco MDS 9700 switch. The 'show interface fc1/1' output shows CRC errors incrementing slowly. The interface is connected to a storage array. Which two actions should the engineer take to resolve the issue?

A
Increase the MTU size on the interface.
Why wrong: MTU affects frame size but not CRC errors.
B
Replace the fiber optic cable and SFP.
Faulty cables or SFPs are common causes of CRC errors.
C
Enable BB_credit recovery on the interface.
BB_credit recovery helps manage buffer credit issues that can cause CRC errors.
D
Clear the interface counters.
Why wrong: Clearing counters hides the problem without resolving it.
E
Change the interface speed from auto to a fixed value.
Why wrong: Speed mismatch is less likely; fixing speed may cause other issues.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 12mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A SAN administrator notices intermittent connectivity issues between an initiator and target. The Fibre Channel link shows CRC errors. What is the most likely cause?

A
Incorrect domain ID.
Why wrong: Domain ID issues cause fabric login problems.
B
Faulty SFP or fiber optic cable.
Physical layer issues cause CRC errors.
C
Buffer credit starvation.
Why wrong: Buffer credit issues cause frame drops, not CRC.
D
Incorrect zone configuration.
Why wrong: Zoning issues cause login failures, not CRC.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 13easymultiple choice

Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

A network engineer is configuring DHCP snooping on a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch to prevent rogue DHCP server attacks. The switch connects to the legitimate DHCP server on Ethernet 1/1. Clients are connected to ports Ethernet 1/2 through 1/24. The engineer enables DHCP snooping globally and on VLAN 10, but clients are unable to obtain IP addresses from the DHCP server. Other connectivity between clients and the server works (e.g., static IPs). What is the most likely cause and solution?

A
Disable DHCP snooping as it is not needed in this topology.
Why wrong: This would remove protection; not the recommended solution.
B
Configure a static DHCP binding for each client on the switch.
Why wrong: Static bindings are used for DHCP reservation, not to fix the trust issue.
C
Ethernet 1/1 is untrusted by default. Configure it as trusted with 'ip dhcp snooping trust' and verify DHCP snooping is enabled on VLAN 10.
Correct. DHCP snooping requires the port towards the trusted server to be set as trusted to allow server messages.
D
Add 'ip dhcp snooping information option' on Ethernet 1/1 to allow DHCP option 82.
Why wrong: Option 82 insertion is not required for basic DHCP snooping and may cause issues if the server does not support it.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 14mediummultiple choice

Full question →

In a Cisco HyperFlex cluster, a new ESXi host is being added. The host is discovered, but the cluster health status shows 'Degraded'. What should be the first troubleshooting step?

A
Reboot the new ESXi host.
Why wrong: Rebooting without diagnosis may not resolve the issue.
B
Verify that the new host's controller VM has the same firmware version as the cluster.
Firmware consistency is critical for cluster stability.
C
Check if the vCenter Server is in maintenance mode.
Why wrong: vCenter maintenance is not directly related to host addition.
D
Delete and re-create the cluster.
Why wrong: Too drastic and will cause downtime.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 15hardmulti select

Full question →

Which TWO troubleshooting steps should be taken when a UCS blade server fails to discover during the initial discovery process?

A
Verify the physical cabling between the IOM and fabric interconnect
Physical connectivity is essential
B
Immediately replace the blade server
Why wrong: Should verify connections first
C
Power cycle the chassis
Why wrong: Power cycling is not a first troubleshooting step
D
Reset the fabric interconnect to factory defaults
Why wrong: Drastic and unnecessary
E
Check firmware compatibility between FI and chassis
Firmware mismatch can prevent discovery

Full breakdown with real-world context →

These 350-601 practice questions are part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style 350-601 questions with detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics.

Troubleshooting Scenario Questions

How to approach troubleshooting scenario questions

Quick answer

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350-601 troubleshooting practice questions

Practice scenarios

A network engineer is troubleshooting a VXLAN EVPN problem where some endpoints are not reachable. The output of 'show bgp l2vpn evpn' shows Type-3 routes but no Type-2 routes for a specific VNI. What should the engineer check?

A data center team is troubleshooting an automation script that uses REST API to configure a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch. The script fails with a '401 Unauthorized' error. What is the most likely cause?

A network engineer is troubleshooting CoPP drops on a Cisco Nexus 9000 switch. The 'show control-plane' output indicates that packets are being dropped due to 'CoPP' on the 'default' control-plane class. Which action is most likely to resolve the issue without affecting routing protocol stability?

A server connected to Ethernet1/1 is unable to communicate on VLAN 1. The server is configured to send untagged frames. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause?

Exhibit

An engineer is troubleshooting connectivity between two Nexus 9000 switches configured with vPC. The vPC peer link is up, but the vPC peer-keepalive link is failing. Which action should be taken to ensure vPC convergence in the event of a peer-link failure?

An engineer is troubleshooting a Cisco UCS B-Series blade that fails to boot. The service profile is associated and the boot policy is set to 'SAN Boot'. The storage administrator confirms the LUN is properly mapped to the WWPN. Which check should the engineer perform first?

Order the steps for troubleshooting a Fibre Channel link that is not coming up.

A storage administrator reports that a host cannot reach any of the targets on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch. The VSAN configuration is correct, and all interfaces are up. Which two commands should be used to verify the Fibre Channel name server database and zoning configuration?

An engineer is troubleshooting a performance issue on a Cisco MDS 9700 switch. The 'show interface fc1/1' output shows CRC errors incrementing slowly. The interface is connected to a storage array. Which two actions should the engineer take to resolve the issue?

A SAN administrator notices intermittent connectivity issues between an initiator and target. The Fibre Channel link shows CRC errors. What is the most likely cause?

In a Cisco HyperFlex cluster, a new ESXi host is being added. The host is discovered, but the cluster health status shows 'Degraded'. What should be the first troubleshooting step?

Which TWO troubleshooting steps should be taken when a UCS blade server fails to discover during the initial discovery process?